The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-01-01
"Aigburth valeD and it's Late owner

| Aigpurth Vale" and its Late Owner
baltimore correspondent ofthe New York World
furnishes some interesting facts In connection
with "Aigburth Vale" the residence of the late
John Il. Owens, as well as some amusing incidents
connected with the farming experience of that
gentleman, from which we make some extracts.
The writer says:
| Mr.. Owens had, without doubt, the finest
actors residence in this country. 1t lies to the
north of Baltimore about eight miles, ON the out
skirts of the little hamlet of Towsontown. 1t
! would not be safe to rdicule the size of Towson-
town, for the comedian used to receive many let
ters addressed to him Baltimore, near Towson-
| town." You reach it by lovely road, display
| ing In summer weather mixture of pictorial in
/ gredAoats, water alone excepted, which make
| Maryland scenery famous. On reaching the
broad entrance to Mr.. Owens's grounds nothing
along the avenue of naples for perhaps four hun
| bred yards, when the road suddenly bends and
| troops, and you pass into full view of stately
manor house nesting in a little valley below.
Descending by this winding path you would pass
through grounds cultivated in summer time with
exquisite skill, laid off into plats of diamond and
semi circe, fringed with the loveliest parterres.
Dainty bits of artistic gardening, Swallowed by
lofty sentinel elms, make up the surroundings of
Aigburth Vale. Around this, at respectful dis
| lance, is circle of hills.
"Aigburth, it should be known, is q pretty
suburb of Liverpool where the comedian was born,
and which was endeared to him by tender recol-
lections. When prosperity crowded so fast on the
jolly owner and he wanted to build something
worthy his purse and taste, he discarded the name
OF Rock Spring, by which his original and modest
place had been christened, and revived the mem.
cries of merry England by adopting that of Aig
burth Vale. at is a strong Saxon name: like
it" said Mr.. Owens, as he rolled it like sweet
morsel under his tongue He lived on the same
spot for nearly thirty years.
"My country friends" he used to say, with
droll air of feeling hurt, "call me dandy farm
er. Bless their sweet souls They don't realize
the frantic struggles I make to become one of the
craft" For instance, he would tell with mock
tragic air how his farm hand came to him one day
for $50 to buy fertilizer. He got the money,
and Mr.. Owens made memorandum of the pur-
ss%ss Shortly after that, on his return from
starring tour, his thoughts became violently bu-
collie. Among other things he wanted to know
where that thirty dollar fertilizer was fOut in
the field yonder," was the reply. Out sauntered
the country farmer to inspect that miraculous i'm
plement for which he had squandered $50 in cold
cash. Finding nothing that met his views of q
fertilizer, he turned on the faithless steward.
p. d. o."
"Lord Mr.. OVENS how can T. when it's all
been narrowed into the ground"
"When friends called he would set out cham
payne and milk, with the fearful request that they
take champagne because sit didn't cost as much"
To say that his plodding neighbors refused en-
couragement would be cruelty unjust. "Their
sympathies appear to be directed towards my
hennery," he would say, "for they always write
to me about egg BIRTH"
"He would sit out on the veranda beneath his
spreading Panama and observe with an air of
jovial resignation "Do you know that this bust
ness of hanging around to watch crops grow is
about the stupidest thing on earth? To satisfy an
actor the corn must be planted one night and be
four feet high the next morning. We must have
quick results. Art is full of excitement. Nature
is tame. Some day expect to settle down and
take grim grain of comfort in these things when
we'll, when I'm like that old fellow up there"
pointing to a cadaverous photograph of himself as
Caleb Plummer which hung on his parlor wall"